US court overturns Trump administration ban on CNN, MS Now, Politico

US President Donald Trump and his administration have suffered a setback in a major legal battle. A federal court in the United States has ruled that the ban imposed on three major international media organizations, CNN, MS Now and Politico, over access to the White House, is illegal and unconstitutional. The court has ordered the Trump administration to lift the ban immediately and restore the White House press passes of these journalists.

The matter began last week when the Trump administration barred journalists from these three media organizations from entering the White House premises and revoked their official hard press badges. President Trump defended the decision on his social media platform, alleging that these media organizations repeatedly published fake news and could not be allowed to spread such information from the White House. The three media organizations then challenged the decision in court.

The case was heard before US District Judge Timothy Kelly. Notably, Judge Kelly was himself appointed to the post by Donald Trump during his first term. During the hearing, Judge Kelly raised serious questions about the administration's action. He stated that the Trump administration had not followed due process while revoking the entry passes of these organizations, and that the administration had cancelled the media organizations' accreditation hastily and unilaterally. On this basis, the court ruled that the ban imposed was completely illegal and must be lifted immediately.

After their passes were revoked and White House entry was blocked, CNN, MS Now and Politico filed a case against the Trump administration citing the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees citizens and the media freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Theodore Boutrous, the lawyer representing the media organizations in court, said the administration's action amounted to viewpoint discrimination. He said the Trump administration was trying to suppress the voices of media organizations that carried news critical of or against it. Boutrous told the judge that with world leaders arriving in Washington and major events taking place, blocking journalists from reporting was very dangerous, and their accreditation should be restored immediately.

On the other side, the US Department of Justice tried to defend the Trump administration's decision. Justice Department lawyer Michael Velchik argued in the hearing that entry to the White House was not an unlimited right for anyone but a privilege. Velchik also said the president had full personal authority over who could enter and who could be kept out of the Oval Office at the very least. But the court rejected this argument and stated clearly that the constitutional right to press freedom was more important.

The ruling is being seen as a major defeat for the Trump administration in its long-running dispute with the media. The decision has strengthened the independence of news agencies in the United States and sent the message that no administration can impose bans on journalists arbitrarily. Following the court's order, attention now turns to whether the Trump administration will appeal the ruling in a higher court or restore the journalists' earlier access.